This invention relates to an apparatus useful in cleaning wet paint from paint brushes. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus used in water cleansing of paint brush heels utilizing water based paints. It should be noted here that other types of paint (such as oil-based paint for example) or varnishes could be cleaned away with the use of the device of the present invention. Besides, the device of the invention can also be used advantageously to clean other types of paint-applying devices such as paint rollers.
For the purposed of this disclosure, the term xe2x80x9ccleaning solutionxe2x80x9d means water, solvent, alcohol, acetone, liquefied soap or any other appropriate cleaning agent depending on the nature of the paint or varnish to be removed from the brush.
Paint brushes are exceedingly useful and efficient tools for applying paint to various surface areas. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to clean the paint from the brush after it has been used. The most difficult area to clean is at the heel of the brush where the bristles are compressed together.
At present there are a number of ways to clean paint soaked brushes, although neither is particularly efficient. One method is to place the paint brush in water and repeatedly squeeze the brush by hand to mechanically remove most of the paint from the bristles. A final rinse under running water is performed in an effort to remove the remaining paint residue. Soaking is a solvent solution of water can first be optionally applied. A useful container for such soaking is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,188.
More sophisticated methods and devices for paint removal have been proposed in the prior art as follows. The U.S. Pat. No. 1,542,025 discloses a hand operated paint brush cleaner employing a pair of opposed bristle brushes in a pool of cleaning solution. The cleaning brushes do not engage the paint brush heel; that is, where the bristles meet the handle and where much unwanted paint tends to accumulate. The U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,945 disclose a device designed to dry hardened paint to powder through the use of heating elements, while U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,505 discloses a device that combs out softened paint lumps with a rotary pin comb. Other patents utilize the cleaning of such objects as golf club heads, hair combs, eyeglasses and hair brushes (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,872,534, 2,082,991, 3,464,080 and 3,590,413, respectively). None of such devices provide means useful in removing paint from paint brush heels.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,364 describes a complicated brush cleaning apparatus for spraying a hot soap solution of hot water onto the bristles of the brush while agitating it mechanically. Besides the complexity of this apparatus, its practical utility is limited due to the fact that water sprays are usually ineffective in cleaning the heel of the brush as they are not capable of penetrating inside the closely held bristles of the brush. A similar approach is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,797.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,424 shows a paint brush cleaning funnel containing a liquid inlet portion and a flared out hollow funnel portion for placing of the paint brush therein. The liquid end portion is connected to a source of pressurized water or another cleaning solution while the brush is placed in the funnel. The limitation of this invention is in the fact that it may force brush bristles to get even more closely together thus preventing the cleaning solution from reaching the heel of the brush.
Finally, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,240 describes a device equipped with a plurality of tubular nozzles with closed ends and side holes located at the distal portions thereof. The nozzles are adapted to be placed inside the bristles at the level of the heel of the brush. A manual pump is provided to supply a cleaning solution to the area of the heel to wash the paint out. This patent is incorporated herewith in its entirety as the closest prior art to the present invention. The limitation of the invention described in this patent is in an uncontrolled discharge of cleaning solution while cleaning the brush. Besides, the shape of the nozzles precludes active separation of the bristles and may lead up to uneven cleaning if some bristles clump together and are pushed to the side by the disclosed apparatus.
In a related area of prior art, several methods have been devised to remove paint from paint rollers using the flow of water from a pressurized source. One method is to remove the paint soaked roller from its handle and install this roller on a hand held mechanical device. The roller is then submerged under water, and the mechanical device is pumped continually by hand to impart a slow rotary motion to the roller. The rotary motion and turbulence of the water removes most of the paint. A final rinse under running water is performed in an effort to remove the remaining paint residue. Another method include placing of a roller into a holder and pumping water through the center of the roller to rinse out the residual paint. Examples of such general approach can be found in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,985,178 and 4,641,673. Both methods are time consuming and require the continual presence and physical effort of the person performing the cleaning operation. Also, both methods require direct handling of the roller which is saturated with wet paint, resulting in a very messy task.
With any disclosed method of the prior art, unless the cleaning process is continued for an inordinate length of time, there will almost always be a residue of paint left within the brush or a roller. Although this will not represent a problem if the same shade of paint is used again with the same brush, this residual paint of one hue will often prevent the use of the semi-cleaned roller with paints of different hues. For these reasons, it is often the case that a paint brush will be thrown away after a single use rather than cleaned, a wasteful practice which further highlights a need for an effective paint brush cleaning apparatus.
Therefore, there remains a need for a paint brush cleaning device which can easily and rapidly remove paint from the bristles of paint brushes of various types and sizes, along the entire length of the bristles, including the heel portion of the brush. Such device should be simple, durable and efficient and be capable of being manufactured in a variety of forms to suit individual needs including home use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome these and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a novel device for cleaning paint brushes of various types and sizes using a pressurized source of cleaning solution and equipped with at least one nozzle for on-demand delivery of that solution between the bristles of a brush. The aim of the device is to allow multiple reuse of the paint brushes with different colors of paint.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle for a brush cleaning device adapted to control the discharge of the cleaning solution by having a poppet valve.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a nozzle for a brush cleaning device, such nozzle being shaped to separate the bristles of the brush in a way most advantageous for subsequent cleaning by an outflow of the cleaning solution from the tip thereof.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device adapted to be connected to a pressurized source of cleaning solution. A related object of the invention is to provide a device for cleaning a paint brush adapted to be connected to a tap water source.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device for cleaning of paint brushes or paint rollers utilizing the minimum amount of cleaning solution for the most effective removal of wet paint.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a simple to use cleaning device for paint brushes adapted to use at home for small house repair projects.
The device of the invention comprises a handle equipped with at least one nozzle and means for attachment for a source of cleaning solution. In the most basic form, the device of the invention has a threaded connection for attachment to a source of tap water under pressure. The handle of the device is adapted to either be fixed in place (such as in a stand) for manual or automatic placement of the brush under the nozzle thereof or alternately the handle is shaped to be held by hand for easy manipulations while cleaning the brush.
The nozzle of the device stems out from the handle and has a tapered shape to facilitate the separating of the brush bristles. Other shapes are also conceived of and include ribs and other protrusions designed to further open up and shuffle the bristles of the brush while it is being cleaned.
To provide an xe2x80x9con-demandxe2x80x9d control of the flow of the cleaning solution, the distal tip of the nozzle is equipped with a shut-off valve. Preferably, the shut-off valve is a one-way check valve. In the most preferred configuration, the shut-off valve is a poppet valve to be activated by a direct contact of the nozzle tip with the paint clumps or the bristle divider at the heel of the brush. The presence of the shut-off valve insures the conservation of the cleaning solution, as its flow is cut-off when not needed.